Here's What's Selling

[richardmac]

The iTunes Music Store has a list of the current 100 top selling songs. Since it's the largest most popular place to buy music online, it's interesting to look at what's selling.

 

Here's the breakdown as of this morning:

 

37% - Pop

20% - Hip Hop/Rap

12% - Rock

12% - Country

11% - Alternative

7% - R&B/Soul

1% - Dance

1% - Electronica

 

I put "soundtrack" in with pop because all 5 soundtrack songs were pop.

 

The artist with the most songs in the top 100? The Jonas Brothers (Disney.) The artist with the second most songs? Hannah Montana (Disney.)

 

Seems like the only record company that really gets it nowadays is Disney! They don't take any chances, though. They totally manufacture their artists from whole cloth, float them on The Disney Channel, and if they float, they put them out there, and if they don't, they quietly move on to the next product. For the Disney artists that do make it, they hire successful songwriters (ie guys my age) to write music for them - Music calculated to appeal to 12 year old girls. This is similar to writing jingles for commercials, I should think. But hey, songwriters gotta eat too.

 

The other record companies look on and think, "Hmm..."

 

Except it doesn't work for them, because Disney will kick their ass in the tween market, and the tween market is the only one where this horsesh*t will work.

 

The rest of the market - well, we want music that is new, fresh, different, honest, and cool. And good. The record companies, with rare exception, can't deliver. The indies do a better job, but... it's becoming more calculated. It's a good time, really, to be an unsigned musician, because people are starving for good honest music, it seems.

 

Am I right, or wrong?

[jaxn slim]

I wonder what the average age of an iTunes customer is... probably pretty young compared to overall music fans.

 

That's interesting, but not that suprising, that pop and hip hop together make up almost 60% of the purchases.

 

I think most of the remaining market is just looking for catchy hooks. IMO, it's usually just musicians who look for real substance.

[Goldtopper]

Richardmac, I don't have iTunes. Would you say that 37% Pop is mostly artists that appeal to a female demographic? (IE: Coldplay, Rhianna, Jesse McCartney, Mamma Mia Soundtrack, etc?)

[freetime]

Is John Mayer "pop"?

[jaxn slim]

 

Is John Mayer "pop"?

 

 

I would speculate that his stuff that sells is pop. I know he does more, but does any of that touch the charts?

[Poker99]

Here's what selling.

 

picture of turd moderator removed

[oldnewbie]

^ I don't know whether to laugh or vomit.

[kurdy]

 

Is John Mayer "pop"?

 

 

Good question. I'd say he's pop in the same way that Coldplay is, or Jack Johnson, or Dave Matthews. It's adult-leaning pop. It's hard to say what category it would be in, since genres are often defined--with the possible exception of country--by what young people listen to.

[the-good-way]

Interesting information

 

When they say "top selling" - over what time frame? (daily/weekly sales)

 

Also, was there a recent Disney movie (and were any of the songs from the same movie) that could be causing a momentary spike? or is this more of a consistent trend?

[Goldtopper]

Here's what selling.

 

(picture of turd which the moderators should probably remove)

 

 

Of course you're going to say that. Harmony Central is owned by Guitar Center isn't it? And the overwhelming number of guitars are purchased by white males, right? So that means this website is probably mostly populated by white males.

 

 

And since most of the recorded being sold is for just about every OTHER demographic than white males, of course the general opinion of current popular music here will tend to unfavorable!

[zenfleshzenbone]

Here's what selling. (picture of turd which the moderators should probably remove)

 

was that a picture of a turd? i thought that was John Mayer

[germs]

As hard as it may be for some of you to believe, people (not just tweens) are listening to this stuff.

 

I know, I know...grown men and women actually enjoying the artists we love to hate so much...what kind of sense does that make?

 

Right?

 

It couldn't possibly be anyone but teenage girls buying pop/rock/country records or hiphop/rap records...no...

[Ides of March]

My 6 year old listens to the Jonas Brothers, Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus, and Drake Bell. And you know what that's fine with me, at least she isn't listening to Lil Wayne and Kanye West and all that obnoxious {censored} that is all over the place now a days.

 

But I can understand how Disney can get the most of what's selling. Young girls love the Jonas brothers and Hanna, and that is what it going to sell.

 

As far as adults listening to this {censored}, I hope to hell not.

[Ides of March]

My 6 year old listens to the Jonas Brothers, Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus, and Drake Bell. And you know what that's fine with me, at least she isn't listening to Lil Wayne and Kanye West and all that obnoxious {censored} that is all over the place now a days.

 

But I can understand how Disney can get the most of what's selling. Young girls love the Jonas brothers and Hanna, and that is what it going to sell.

 

As far as adults listening to this {censored}, I hope to hell not.

[sabriel9v]

 

Here's what selling. (picture of turd which the moderators should probably remove) Of course you're going to say that. Harmony Central is owned by Guitar Center isn't it? And the overwhelming number of guitars are purchased by white males, right? So that means this website is probably mostly populated by white males. And since most of the recorded being sold is for just about every OTHER demographic than white males, of course the general opinion of current popular music here will tend to unfavorable!

 

 

Whats with you and racial and social demographics?

[germs]

I believe that statement was intended as satire.

 

Not without truth, though...

[elsongs]

What IS pop really? Pop is short for "popular," correct? But if I made the most accessible, teen-friendly, bubble-gum music but no one is really buying it (because I don't have the luxury of the Disney marketing machine), is it still "pop?"

[Argonaut]

 

My 6 year old listens to the Jonas Brothers, Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus, and Drake Bell. And you know what that's fine with me, at least she isn't listening to Lil Wayne and Kanye West and all that obnoxious {censored} that is all over the place now a days. But I can understand how Disney can get the most of what's selling. Young girls love the Jonas brothers and Hanna, and that is what it going to sell. As far as adults listening to this {censored}, I hope to hell not.

 

 

Ok . . . . teenybopper stuff will always be there - but what do the hip adults listen to?

[Argonaut]

 

Good question. I'd say he's pop in the same way that Coldplay is, or Jack Johnson, or Dave Matthews. It's adult-leaning pop. It's hard to say what category it would be in, since genres are often defined--with the possible exception of country--by what young people listen to.

 

 

John Mayer calls himself rock-blues-jazz

[Anderton]

 

Of course you're going to say that. Harmony Central is owned by Guitar Center isn't it?

 

 

Just to clarify, Harmony Central is an independent entity that was purchased by Musicians Friend.

[ZachMetal]

itunes is definitely not a representative sample. Your calculations are right for iTunes, but not for the population.

[Argonaut]

 

I would speculate that his stuff that sells is pop. I know he does more, but does any of that touch the charts?

 

 

Yes, John Mayer is pop. In my opinion you have to purposely make a pop-recording. When Mayer plays music for his own enjoyment it is SRV-esque blues-rock and his chops are up there with SRV. He writes the records he does for money and for sales. Props to him for knowing how to work it. Mayer's songs suck but we could all take a lesson in pop-sensibilities from him. Verse-chorus-verse-bridge-out in about 3 minutes and nothin' too dramatic.

[Ides of March]

 

Ok . . . . teenybopper stuff will always be there - but what do the hip adults listen to?

 

 

Well I am never going to be one of those parents that tries to listen to what's cool to fit in with their kids. I have been listening to the same group of bands for a long time now. I am in my early 30's by the way. But being a guitar player I have alot of different avenues too. I like metal, rock, blues, alternative and acoustic. So if either of my daughters ends up liking Slayer, or Megadeth, Down, Pantera, Testament, Mastadon, or even my fav bands from the Seattle grunge days it won't bother me, they can look in my collection. I just don't want them listening to any gangster {censored} that's all. That stuff (which I used to listen to religiously in my car when I was a teen) is just moronic knobs talking about {censored} they probably never did.

[richardmac]

 

Mayer's songs suck but we could all take a lesson in pop-sensibilities from him.

 

 

That's your opinion, and it's shared by several people here, but in my opinion, his music is some of the best newer stuff out there. I personally like his music. I'm stunned that he's still popular because his music doesn't sound like the rest of the pop stuff.

 

You're right about him being a great guitarist, though.

[richardmac]

 

itunes is definitely not a representative sample. Your calculations are right for iTunes, but not for the population.

 

 

iTunes has 70% of the legal download market.